HEMET – On a day when he made so many big pitches in big situations, one delivery told the tale of why Hemet ace Clifford Brown is such a huge weapon for the Bulldogs.

Protecting a fragile lead in a tough spot against one of Alhambra’s best hitters, Brown didn’t back down. He got a strikeout that provided the escape hatch from a dangerous situation and helped carry Hemet to a 2-0 victory Thursday in the first round of the CIF-SS Division 4 baseball playoffs.

Hemet (21-8-1) will travel to Oak Hills on Tuesday, May 22.

Up by two in the fifth inning, with runners at first and third and one out and headed into the middle of the Alhambra order, Brown had a full count on No. 2 hitter Diego Moran. He got Moran looking on a pitch on the inside corner and then retired Xavier Perez on a fly ball to end the threat.

“It takes a lot of confidence in that situation to come inside, right into the strength (of the hitter),” Hemet coach Mike Harper said.

It was far from the only challenge for Brown.

His playoffs opened on a shaky note, as three of the first four batters tagged him for hits. However, he served up a double play grounder to escape without a run.

Four times Alhambra (22-8-1) had runners in scoring position with less than two outs and four times the Moors came up empty. Brown said his plan for dealing with stressful situations is simple.

“I just step off and take a breath,” he said.

Said Harper: “I think today, he had some nerves at the start. And the outside corner, let’s say they (the calls) weren’t too forgiving. But once he got out of that big inning, I knew he was good to go.”

On the offensive side, the game belonged to cleanup hitter Aaron Harper. He went opposite way for a double to drive in Hemet’s first run, in the first inning. And he drilled another run-scoring double to dead center in the third.

In both at-bats, Harper worked the count, seeing six pitches each time.

“It takes a disciplined hitter in these big games,” Mike Harper said. “I tell them, there may be only one hit in these games, but that’s all it takes if it’s at the right time. You have to stay focused.”

Brown closed strong, retiring the final six batters after a leadoff double in the sixth. He finished with seven strikeouts and one walk.

Join the Conversation

We invite you to use our commenting platform to engage in insightful conversations about issues in our community. Although we do not pre-screen comments, we reserve the right at all times to remove any information or materials that are unlawful, threatening, abusive, libelous, defamatory, obscene, vulgar, pornographic, profane, indecent or otherwise objectionable to us, and to disclose any information necessary to satisfy the law, regulation, or government request. We might permanently block any user who abuses these conditions.

If you see comments that you find offensive, please use the “Flag as Inappropriate” feature by hovering over the right side of the post, and pulling down on the arrow that appears. Or, contact our editors by emailing moderator@scng.com.